A family of five who had spent years living in an open-concept downtown apartment made a significant lifestyle change when they purchased a 1930s Upper East Side apartment just half a block from Central Park. The parents, who had grown tired of their home sounding and smelling like a restaurant every time they cooked, longed for more structure and even dreamed of having a separate kitchen with doors.
The renovation project brought together architects Andrew Magnes and Chris Boskey with the renowned interior design firm Nate Berkus Associates. This collaboration marked the first time Magnes had worked professionally with his life partner Boskey, combining their different approaches to create something unique. Andrew, who studied art, focused on visual language including materiality, color, and spatial composition, while Chris brought expertise in functional details and construction methods.
The original apartment required a complete gut renovation to address its outdated prewar layout that no longer suited modern family living. The space featured staff corridors, multiple maids' rooms, and an oversized formal dining room - all remnants of a bygone era when such formal arrangements were standard. "A lot of these prewar Upper East Side apartments have very large dining rooms, and it's just not how people live now," Andrew explained.
The design team made bold structural changes to modernize the living experience while maintaining the apartment's traditional character. They downsized the large entryway and completely reimagined the excessive dining room as a modern family room. The dining table was relocated to the graciously sized living room, creating a more casual atmosphere that better suited the family's contemporary lifestyle.
The sunlit living room became a showcase for the architects' collaborative approach, featuring traditional architectural detailing inspired by the mix of prewar buildings visible through the windows, from Beaux Arts to Neo-Federal styles. Painted in Benjamin Moore's Snowfall White OC-118 to maximize natural light, the space features crisply paneled walls and a custom dentil cornice that merge seamlessly with large casement windows. Smart planning incorporated hidden storage behind wall panels and ample space for window shades.
Lauren Buxbaum Gordon, a partner at Nate Berkus Associates who led the renovation, focused on bridging the family's modern tendencies with the vintage architecture. "It was our job to bridge their modern tendencies with the vintage architecture and create a space that felt both fresh and enduring," she said. The result is an eclectic mix of comfortable vintage pieces ranging from French and Swedish designs from the 1940s to Italian pieces from the 1950s, combined with new upholstered furniture in both classic and modern designs.
The entry hall stands as the most distinctive space in the apartment, drawing inspiration from Gio Ponti's 1927 villa L'Ange Volant outside Paris. Lauren's team had been waiting for years for the right project to implement their interpretation of this iconic design. The resized entry connects two wings through arched doorways and features bold marble flooring that the client immediately approved, despite its funky and colorful departure from traditional patterns.
One space that required some convincing was the family room, as the owners initially doubted it would see much use. Lauren was surprised by this reaction and set out to prove them wrong with comfortable lounge seating and a built-in bookcase to house the television and accommodate storage needs. The strategy worked perfectly, and the family now gathers daily at the breakfast nook, which aligns with the bookcase and incorporates a banquette and dining table surrounded by warm wooden details and cozy green wallcoverings.
The kitchen renovation addressed the owners' primary wish for a space with proper doors, ultimately providing three different options. The architects reclaimed space from a former staff corridor and butler's pantry to enlarge the kitchen and accommodate a brass-wrapped island with seating. They spent considerable time using 3D renderings to place stone veining for maximum impact and decide which surfaces should feature more or less active stone patterns. The coveted doors include a refinished service door leading to fire stairs, a new pocket door to the corridor, and a nostalgic swinging door separating the family room, complete with an oval glass window that evokes classic New York apartment memories.
The remaining spaces throughout the apartment reflect the family's personality while maintaining the sophisticated design approach. The home office serves as a retreat within the home, featuring disguised storage behind wall panels and a pocket minibar for after-hours use. The walls are lacquered in high-gloss Farrow & Ball Studio Green, appealing to both vintage and modern sensibilities while incorporating hidden storage on either side of the sofa.
Color palettes become more playful in the children's rooms toward the back of the house and especially in the bathrooms, where the design team maximized the potential of tiles in fun patterns. "We made a concerted effort to add color and pattern in a way that felt vintage but fresh," Lauren explained. One daughter's ensuite features a mix of green and white Elements Field Tiles from Ann Sacks arranged in stripes, while other spaces take even more risks, such as a powder room decorated with Pierre Frey's Water Lily wallpaper in terracotta.
The success of this three-way collaboration between the architectural team and interior designers has created a home that uniquely reflects the family's lifestyle while respecting the building's historical character. The special blend of bespoke, vintage, and modern details defines the project, proving that multiple creative voices can work harmoniously when properly coordinated. Andrew reports receiving regular texts from the client expressing her disbelief and joy about their new home, with the homeowner saying "she keeps pinching herself" because "she just can't believe this is where she lives now."
